Requirements

• Blender 4.2 LTS or newer. Tested headless with 4.2.23 LTS, 4.5.14 LTS and 5.2.1 LTS (identical vertex/face counts in all three versions).
• No add-ons, no external textures, no Python.

What's in the package

Installation

Option A – Asset Browser (recommended)

1. Edit > Preferences > File Paths > Asset Libraries → + → choose the folder that contains tidebone_rope_chain.blend.
2. In any file: open an Asset Browser, select that library, catalog Tidebone / Curves.
3. Drag Tidebone Rope & Chain onto a curve object (or add a Geometry Nodes modifier and pick the node group from the list).

Option B – Append

File > Append → tidebone_rope_chain.blend → NodeTree → Tidebone Rope & Chain. Then add a Geometry Nodes modifier to a curve object and select the group.

Usage

Add the modifier to a curve object (Bezier, NURBS or Poly; open or closed; any number of splines). The curve's own shape is the input – edit the curve and the rope/chain follows.

General

Rope panel

Closed (cyclic) curves never fray – there is no end.

Chain panel

UV panel

The modifier writes a UV map called UVMap (visible under Object Data > UV Maps, kept when you apply the modifier or export). Image textures work directly; an Image Texture node uses it automatically, or pick it in a UV Map node.

• Rope: U runs once around each strand (0–1, times UV Around), V runs along the curve, measured in metres times UV Per Meter, so the texture keeps its size when the curve gets longer. On closed curves the repeats are rounded to a whole number so the texture meets itself without a seam. The flat end caps get a round UV patch at the same texel density.
• Chain: every link gets the identical layout: U around the wire, V once around the link. V is set automatically so texels are square (same density along and around the wire) and rounded to a whole number of repeats per link, so the closed link has no visible seam. UV Around scales both together; UV Per Meter does not affect chains.
• Tip for the rope: square texels need UV Per Meter ≈ 1 / strand circumference. With the defaults (3 strands, Thickness 0.025) that is about 10–12.

Links are spaced exactly one pitch apart (Link Size − 2 × Wire Thickness), so neighbouring links always interlock. On open curves the chain is trimmed to a whole number of links; on closed curves the link count is rounded to an even number so the alternation closes cleanly.

Polycount guide (measured, 2 m straight curve unless noted)

Note: rope triangles scale with curve length × Resolution × Strands × Profile Resolution. For real-time use, lower Profile Resolution first – the twist reads well down to 6.

Tips

• Hanging chains / ropes: shape the curve as a sag, or simulate a curve with Blender's hair/cloth tools and use that curve as input.
• Wrapping around objects: draw a spiral curve (e.g. Add > Curve > Spiral in the Extra Objects add-on, or snap a curve to the surface) and use a high Resolution.
• Applying: Object > Apply > Visual Geometry to Mesh (or apply the modifier) gives a normal mesh for export (FBX/glTF/OBJ). Each strand and each link is a separate closed shell.
• Materials: both included materials are procedural (object-space noise) and do not need the UVs; swap in any image-based material and it will use UVMap.

Known limitations (v1.1)

• No built-in physics; the curve defines the shape.
• On chain links the texture compresses slightly on the inner side of tight bends (as on any torus); with Link Shape Square this is strongest at the corners.